It’s a rather fun and amusing thing to visualize yourself achieving a goal. That’s precisely what a new year resolution does–it paints a picture of you at the finish line. The question is rather seasonal. When the parade of older relatives are done harassing you with questions about your girlfriend/boyfriend (or worse, the lack thereof), small talk begs the question: “What are your resolutions this year?” Those office Christmas parties have the same disease, too. And for the sole purpose of decreasing the monotony of the conversation, you throw a bunch of promises in the air.
“I just want to lose 10 pounds, that’s all.”
“I’m giving all I’ve got for a 3.50 Grade point average”
“I’m banging that girl who works on the 3rd floor.”
“This is my last cigarette.”
So before I tell you why you’re going to stay fat, unsuccessful, lonely and unhealthy, an uncle briefly explained the science behind it all. apparently, that region of your brain contributes to your determination to do anything. It handles your short term memory and your abstract ideas.
When you’re making a resolution, this baby right here exerts a lot of willpower to make promises that you can’t keep. For the time being as you’re sitting there in front of a fine feast that includes the traditional lechon, spaghetti and pichi pichi, that area’s telling you that it’s absolutely necessary to make that choice because after Christmas, you’re going to get so fat, people won’t be able to recognize you.
But the problem there is that, more often than not, you don’t really think about it enough. Your short term memory won’t remind you about the effort it takes to get up early in the morning to go for a jog or to stay up a few more hours to ace that midterm exam. It doesn’t take difficulty levels into account.
So enough of that science bit, here’s why I personally think you’ll remain a failure:
1.The results are unmeasurable
Example: “I’m going to be more inspiring.” “I’m going to help this person.”
Like any other hypothesis, you need to be somewhat empirical. You can’t measure the level of inspiration you’ve brought to somebody or the help you’ve extended. for all we know, you could have even made things worse for them. Sloth is your main enemy here, so at any time, your brain can trick you into telling yourself “I think that’s good enough.”
2. No one cares
Like I said, it’s a seasonal question. No one will care about your resolution during boys night out when they’re asking you to chug, chug chug. Very few people in your life will support you and say, “You’re smoking again?! But that was your resolution!” probably because they’ve broken theirs yesterday. They only care at the start (where they can buy some small talk) and at the end of the year (where they can humiliate you).
3. You’re trying to fix the side effects of the real dilemma
There is a big difference between “I’m gonna get a boyfriend” and “I’m going to be happy”. At times, there is something unhinged about our personality that make us unlikely candidates for success. You could get a sexual partner (still a potential boyfriend nonetheless) and feel absolutely dead inside. Fixing the side effects isn’t as fulfilling as eliminating the entire problem. It’s like having gasping as a symptom for lung cancer. Why would you rather base your resolution on eliminating the gasping when you can target cancer?
4. The best motivation is the deadline
Just as a college student reasons out that their mental capacity multiplies the night before the exam, your willpower will skyrocket around November or December when you have to triple your exercise routine just to shed off a few pounds. At page 1 of 365 in this book called 2013, time is pleasantly rubbing your back. before the Christmas rush, time mischievously brings out a whip and hits you with it. “I’ll do it tomorrow”, you say. Before you know it, time has been cheating on you with his bestfriend, guilt. Everyday they haunt you with a cacophony of “I should have(s)”
Of course, this is all opinion based on observation. Last 2012, I achieved 4 out of 7 resolutions and I still intend to make the same promises. But with all these pitfalls in mind, I constructed more effective ways of thinking for myself.
You should, too. Lest you want to remain fat, unsuccessful, lonely and unhealthy.
Pantomime Reader 